An employee walking along a thermal pipe at the Kamojang geothermalpower plant near Garut, West Java, on March 18. State utility provider Perusahaan Listrik Negara is targeting an additional 135 megawatts ofelectricity from three new geothermal plants. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

So let me tell you what else they did. They just showed you what's wrong with nuclear power. "Safe to the maximum," they said. "Our devices are strong and cannot fail." But they did. They are no match for Gaia.

It seems that for more than 20 years, every single time we sit in the chair and speak of electric power, we tell you that hundreds of thousands of tons of push/pull energy on a regular schedule is available to you. It is moon-driven, forever. It can make all of the electricity for all of the cities on your planet, no matter how much you use. There's no environmental impact at all. Use the power of the tides, the oceans, the waves in clever ways. Use them in a bigger way than any designer has ever put together yet, to power your cities. The largest cities on your planet are on the coasts, and that's where the power source is. Hydro is the answer. It's not dangerous. You've ignored it because it seems harder to engineer and it's not in a controlled environment. Yet, you've chosen to build one of the most complex and dangerous steam engines on Earth - nuclear power.

We also have indicated that all you have to do is dig down deep enough and the planet will give you heat. It's right below the surface, not too far away all the time. You'll have a Gaia steam engine that way, too. There's no danger at all and you don't have to dig that far. All you have to do is heat fluid, and there are some fluids that boil far faster than water. So we say it again and again. Maybe this will show you what's wrong with what you've been doing, and this will turn the attitudes of your science to create something so beautiful and so powerful for your grandchildren. Why do you think you were given the moon? Now you know.

This benevolent Universe gave you an astral body that allows the waters in your ocean to push and pull and push on the most regular schedule of anything you know of. Yet there you sit enjoying just looking at it instead of using it. It could be enormous, free energy forever, ready to be converted when you design the methods of capturing it. It's time. …”

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Architect proposes lift for Semarang's Pasar Johar

Pasar Johar market, Central Java's biggest traditional market and a historical landmark in the provincial capital Semarang, has been corroded by seawater over the years, but a group of engineers has a plan to fix it.

In May and June, a section of its 15,000-square meter area was swamped in rising seawater, which leached into the foundations of the market located in Semarang's Kota Lama old city area.

"As an architect, I am very concerned about the condition of Pasar Johar, which is a cultural heritage (building).

"If its unique mushroom-shaped pillars are continually exposed to the elements, the building, which boasts a strong and unique construction, may gradually demolish by itself.

"Coastal erosion has obviously damaged the concrete construction of its base. Therefore, we offer a proposal to raise Pasar Johar without altering its shape," said president director of PT Ecolmantech (Ecology Management Technology and Change), John Wirawan, in Semarang.

He said the method used to raise the building would not harm its structure, thus keeping the original shape of the market which was built by Thomas Karsten in 1933.

It's also hoped that raising Pasar Johar will help dispel rumors that Semarang Mayor Sukawi Sutarip plans to turn it into a modern market.

John, a German-graduated architect, said the technique had been since the 1950s overseas and was used to lift a building in Pulo Gadung, Jakarta, in 1990.

A steel structure would built beneath the building, which would then be raised on hydraulic jacks.

"We will place the jacks in various points to divide its weight equally. We will later raise the jacks all at once to lift the building bit by bit. It will take three to four days to lift the building up to one meter," said John.

The lifting should not damage the structure of the building, and preserving Pasar Johar will be cheaper than rebuilding it, he said.

"The method could cut the cost by half compared to building a new market," said John.

He said the cost of lifting the building was insignificant given that the history of the building made it priceless.

The first building John helped move was the 133-ton upper structure of the fly-over bridge at Taman Ria recreational park in Jakarta. His company was also involved in lifting a floating pier at that time and later raised a building at the Green Wood housing estate in Semarang.

Another architect, Harisanto, 75, said he had also been following the developments of Pasar Johar.

"I used to follow my father, who was Thomas Karsten's trusted technician, when the market was under construction. To me, Pasar Johar is a traditional market designed perfectly by Karsten," he said.

The market's ventilation system protects shoppers from the heat, while it has good natural lighting as well.

History has it that Pasar Johar became the biggest and most modern market in Indonesia as soon as it was completed. Its special trait -- the mushroom-shaped pillars -- was regarded as ahead of its time to its precise construction.

Pasar Johar is currently occupied by 2,628 traders. According to head of the Pasar Johar Traders Association, Prasetyono, his group has objected against any kind of renovation, revitalization, or "whatever terms the authorities use".

"We are already annoyed by any kind of term used," he said.

He said the construction of a shopping center next to Pasar Johar had already sent many traders out of business.

"That's why we reject the idea of raising Pasar Johar," he said.

He said seawater only swamped a small area of the market during certain hours in May and June, and that raising the market was not worthwhile.

"We have improved the southern section, which is dirty and squalid, and repaired the ventilation system. We have also raised the canopy to improve circulation," said Prasetyono.

Semarang Traders Forum chairperson Nurul Huda said the most important issue was not revitalizing the market, but overcoming the seawater intrusion in most parts of Semarang.

"If the Semarang municipality fixed the rising seawater in lower Semarang, it would resolve the problem in Pasar Johar," she said.

John Wirawan said his company would involve social experts, community figures and local politicians in the project.

"The Pasar Johar issue is not only the concern of architects, but everyone will be involved because this project is also in the interests of the general public," said John.

Health, Safety & Environment

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Today, fewer than 20% of households in Indonesia have access to piped water, which is inexpensive and still of reasonable quality compared to alternative sources. The situation has deteriorated in recent years, as the sector can no longer rely on central government grants and loans, formerly major sources of funding.Read More ...

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LATEST NEWS: Photographers covering the deteriorating health of former president Soeharto send pictures through a wireless internet facility in front of Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta on Wednesday. The service, which was provided by IT company CISCO, has saved journalists the effort of going back and forth between their offices to submit their work. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama